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Feed of posts on WordPress.com tagged "deepavali"Sun, 18 Feb 2018 05:37:35 +0000https://en.wordpress.com/tags/enhttps://kasturika.wordpress.com/go/stories/defining-eyes/
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 17:49:51 +0000kasturikahttps://kasturika.wordpress.com/go/stories/defining-eyes/https://indolankan.wordpress.com/go/sweet/mysore-pak-mysore-fudge/
Sun, 05 Nov 2017 17:14:01 +0000indolankanhttps://indolankan.wordpress.com/go/sweet/mysore-pak-mysore-fudge/Traditionally this is considered as one of the most calorific Indian sweet. This year I have managed to perfect a recipe that uses half the recommended amount of ghee, and still, achieve the fudgy texture. This is a pure melt in your mouth treat!

Ingredients:

1 cup Gram Flour (Besan)

1 cup Melted Ghee + 1/4 cup

1 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Water

Method:

Roast the gram flour in a non-stick pan till the raw smell of the flour is gone.

Melt 1 1/4 cup of ghee in a pan. Transfer the roasted flour to a mixing bowl and add 1 cup melted ghee and mix vigorously using a whisk, to ensure that there are no lumps.

Wash out the same non-stick pan, you roasted the flour, add in 1 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water. Keep stirring (using a wooden spoon), on a medium heat until you achieve a 1-string consistency.

Gradually add the ghee-gram flour mixture into the sugar syrup on low heat. Change to use a plastic heat-safe spatula, and keep stirring it all together.

The mixture will thicken; therefore, add the remainder melted ghee every minute and stir.

Turn off the heat once the mixture starts to bubble and transfer to a greased oven tray immediately, spread evenly to the thickness of at least an inch.

Allow it to cool for 10 – 12 minutes and then transfer to a serving plate and cut it into desired shapes. Preferably into rectangles.

Mysore Pak can last up to 20 days if kept in an airtight container. Never put it in the fridge, as this can alter its consistency, taste and texture, due to the ghee hardening.

Useful Tips and Tricks:

Keep stirring the gram flour in the pan using a wooden spoon for 5-7 minutes on low heat. *

The trick to getting one string consistency sugar syrup is to let the sugar and water mixture to almost boil in the pan on a high-medium heat for 5 minutes. Then once all the sugar has dissolved and it starts to bubble, keep stirring the mixture on a low heat for 2-3 minutes. This will give you the perfect sugar syrup. *

Adding the ghee gradually in equal batches allows the gram flour and sugar syrup mixture to absorb it and enhance the flavours. If ghee is added in one go, there is a chance that the mixture may split and texture to alter.

* This depends on the thickness of the base of the pan used. Heavy bottomed pans, will need more time to heat up but will retain heat for longer, even after removing from the heat source. Lightweight pans, will heat up quicker and cool down quicker. For this recipe, I would recommend a lightweight non-stick pan.

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Sat, 04 Nov 2017 21:33:02 +0000indolankanhttps://indolankan.wordpress.com/go/sweet/kaju-katli-cashew-nut-burfi/This sweet was a hit with my family and friends. And it’s the easiest one to make. I will say, my youngest nephew who is just over a year old and only has two teeth, ate it! It is smooth as butter!

Ingredients:

300g Cashew Nuts

50g Milk Powder

240g Sugar

120ml Water

1-2 tsp Ghee

Method:

Using a blender, coffee grinder or food processor, grind the cashew nuts, in 100g batches. Blend it on a high setting for a short period of time for coarse cashew powder. Mix the cashew nut powder and milk powder.

In a shallow cast iron pan or a non-stick pan add the sugar and water. Mix with a wooden spoon and leave it to boil for 5 minutes on medium to high heat. Once the sugar syrup goes slightly translucent and bubbles start to form, change to low heat for 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add in the cashew nut and milk powder. Using the wooden spoon gently fold in the powder mix. Once completely incorporated with sugar syrup, vigorously whip the mixture for 2 minutes. Then spread the mixture evenly on the pan and let cool for 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a wide plate or serving tray wrapped in cling film. Wrap your hands in cling film and knead the mixture for 5 minutes. The mixture will form into a dough like consistency.

Grease a medium rectangular oven tray with the ghee then line with greaseproof paper. Spread the mixture in the tray using the back of a spoon. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then using a sharp knife cut the tray of Kaju katli (Cashew nut barfi) however you like. Let it rest in the tray for a further 10 minutes before turning it out and transferring to a serving plate.

These Kaju Katlis can last up to 15 days if kept in an airtight container. It can last longer if kept in the fridge. When you come to eat the Katli, place the amount you want on a microwavable plate and heat for 10-20 seconds on a low setting. Let it stand for a minute before eating.

Useful Tips and Tricks:

When blending the cashew nuts, it is important not to over blend. It is ready when it’s coarse like salt.

Using a cast iron pan (designated solely to make sweets) will give you the best results. If not, using a non-stick pan with a wooden spoon is suggested.

Once the mixture has been incorporated and whipped, it is important that you spread it evenly in the pan. Otherwise, the mixture will cool unevenly and will affect the texture of the katli.

Wrapping cling film around your hands or wearing food-safe plastic gloves is important when kneading the mixture. Direct heat and natural oils from our hand can alter the colour of the katli from a cream white to a dull white.

I used a medium oven tray and spread the mixture to about the thickness of a £1 coin. I got 40 small triangular Kaju Katlis.

This month has been full of excitement and cultural absorption as we celebrated Diwali with the staff members and hostel children of Sevalaya. Diwali is celebrated for around 5 days and we got to experience the full feel of Diwali as we adopted Hindu traditions in preparation for the celebration (as much as we could do anyway.)

Before I jump straight into Diwali I’ll give you a bit of background surrounding the rest of the month and my progressions.

I’m happy to say I can now count from one to twenty, write my name, name colours, ask general questions and know some basic words in Tamil. This has helped me significantly, especially as some of the older residents of Sevalaya have little to no knowledge of English. Being able to decipher and distinguish parts of conversations, sentences and to have a basic understanding of the language (although brief) makes me feel as though I’m melting into the community of Sevalaya and Kasuva as a whole.

It’s fulfilling to see the joy in people’s smiles as I try to converse in Tamil, even if I don’t get very far with it. I hope they see the effort I’m putting in to truly integrate and create relationships whilst I’m here. The start of many great friendships have already began to blossom, and I can see them only growing stronger in the future.

I love my Sevalaya family. The cultural exchange that takes place every day even without my noticing is a profoundly beautiful thing.

Apart from my endless Tamil studying, the month of October held other things for myself and my partner Hannah. We’re now official residents of India! After endless form completions, police meetings and police station appointments, we’ve finally been given our certificates. This is great news.

Now for the exciting details of Diwali.

The weeks coming up to Diwali were full of Hannah and I shopping around for our sarees, jewellery and accessories. We really wanted to look the part, everyone expressed to us that new clothes were a must for Diwali. Naturally, I went to find the most affordable but extravagant saree I could find, I decided red and gold in colour would be most appropriate, I wanted to look as Indian as humanly possible for a westerner!

When we had finally got ourselves together after purchasing new bangles, earrings, bindis, anklets and hair pieces, it was time for the celebrations to begin. The day before Diwali was filled with excitement and joy. The children got the day off school, so did we.

The afternoon was to be filled with the most beautiful firecracker display. I say beautiful, what I really mean is all of the hostel children were given matches and fireworks and were let loose. Of course to English standards this would be considered highly dangerous and would never be allowed, but that is the beauty of India. Health and safety regulations so loosely set that you’re not quite sure whether you’re going to survive tomorrow – excitement with a side of potential injury: balance. Children were running rampant with sparklers and fleeing from fireworks that didn’t go off quite to plan. Everyone was in high spirits.

Before we retired for the night we enquired with one of the residents of the old age home as to how Diwali was to be traditionally celebrated, and if there were any rituals to take place before/ during the day. He told us on the morning of Diwali (around 4am when everyone would be waking) people take an oil bath. The oil to be used is Gingelly (sesame) oil. You should cover your body from head to toe in the oil including your hair, then proceed to wash as you normally would.

We were determined to do Diwali as authentically as we could – so we awoke at 5am, (I know, we had an hours lie in compared to everyone else, scandalous) and proceeded to take our oil baths. The rest of the morning included myself and Hannah doing our make up, hair and desperately trying to tie our sarees for the first time independently. My make up wasn’t anything special in comparison to the make up I wear back home in the UK, but it felt great putting some on after being bare faced for so long.

We had such a struggle trying to tie our sarees it made us miss out on morning prayer, and so I had a little strop because now my hair wasn’t going to plan either. I was well and truly annoyed and had given up on Diwali before it even started. This didn’t last long though, as soon as we stepped foot outside of the door people surrounded us and showered us with compliments. We had realised at this point we were painfully overdressed, but no one seemed to care, I think they were just happy to see us all dressed up for and Indian festival in true Indian fashion.

I think I ate enough sweets on Diwali to give myself a cavity in every tooth, how ironic considering my previous occupation – dental nursing! It’s a good job I love Indian sweets and Hannah seems to hate them, more for me.

On the morning of Diwali all of the hostel children were given new clothes, and the girls were given new bangles. The evening held more firecrackers and fireworks, and a big display to end the night. Everyone congregated on the basketball court to watch the intricate flashes and sparkles of the fireworks, a perfect way to celebrate the festival of light.

I am in the midst of editing a vlog from Diwali, because I don’t think any extensive amount of descriptive writing can truly capture the beauty of deepavali quite like seeing it for yourselves.

On that note, let me inform you that I will be uploading a new blog every day for the rest of this month, as this month is the International Month of Blogging. This could either be a really good or bad idea, we will soon find out… either way I hope it makes up for my lack of posts over the month! That’s it from me, until tomorrow!

I’m a Singaporean who returned home last December after living overseas for 11 years. When we visited kindergartens here last October in preparation for my six-year-old’s enrolment, I was surprised to see Halloween decorations — obviously handmade by the students as craft projects — adorning the school. There were cobwebs, ghosts, witches and pumpkins.

Fast-forward to this year: Every mall we go to these two months seem to have Halloween decorations, deals and even “fright nights” planned. When we dropped by a community library on Oct 28, Halloween decorations jostled for space with Deepavali decorations. There was even a Halloween-themed section showcasing horror fiction that came with a challenge, “Do you dare to read this?”.

The widespread promotion and “celebration” of this day is dumbfounding, whether in schools, libraries, malls, and even among communities in the heartlands.

In Yishun, I saw a poster of a “Halloween Night” organised by Yuhua Community Centre and the guest of honour was Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. At Seletar Mall, I see a Halloween dress-up competition event where Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Health, was an invited guest.

My homeland, a South-east Asian country, looks like it has wholeheartedly allowed Halloween to be a part of our communal consciousness, and I find this befuddling.

One thing I absolutely love about Singapore is how we celebrate every religious festival in our multi-cultural, multi-religious society, but Halloween is not a religious holiday.

What is its cultural significance here when it has its origins in western countries? Why is it endorsed so openly here?

It has become so pervasive that I see less decorations and programmes in malls about Deepavali, which is a relevant religious and cultural celebration by one of our key races.

I’ve two children aged two and six, and personally, I very much detest that there are so many horror images around public spaces that have been put up since August. I much rather spend my time explaining to them what Deepavali and a rangoli is about, instead of the differences between vampires and zombies and why pumpkins have scary faces. And don’t get me started on those advertisements at bus-stops promoting Halloween nights at a certain resort here.

I don’t quite want to keep telling my daughter’s school principal that I don’t want her cutting out figures of ghosts and witches as art and craft. It’s all plain silly.

I observe that many families like the dress-up element of Halloween and children love the idea of getting free candy. How about dressing up in sarees and Indian attire and enjoy visiting our Indian neighbours instead?

Why don’t we have more community events built around this festival? It is just plain strange that our Members of Parliaments are officiating and gracing these Halloween-themed events.

There must be other ways to build a sense of community and fun among our neighbours, ways that do not include horror figures, props related to witchcraft, and so forth.

It’s been a week since Diwali! No more Chinese fairy lights blinking from people’s verandahs or windows. No more diyas glowing in the night. And (I am thankful for this one) no more phatakas waking you up at odd hours in the night. Life has resumed its dreary monotone. This is the toughest part…the aftermath of Diwali!

The whole year, we look forward to Diwali. Our life revolves around Diwali. Cleaning the home, buying new things with just one goal in mind – Diwali’s coming! And when the Diwali comes, it’s a frenzy. Snacks and (and lots of it), sweets, crackers, diyas and candles, rangolis and trains, pages and visiting the temple, meeting friends and family, baksheesh and bonus, those 5 days are a mad mad mad mad party. And then, as if in the blink of the eye, the day comes when you are preparing tiffin and getting ready for work again, and it dawns on you that Diwali has gone. It leaves a sense of emptiness in you.

Mind you, I was not a big fan of Diwali. As a child growing up in Ahmedabad, I dreaded Diwali. 5 days of post-Diwali holidays meant a never ending horde of guests turning up announced (mobile phones hadn’t found their way yet and the laid back attitude of Amdawadis stopped them from calling up before knocking at your door), serving them food and tea, and then washing vessel till late in the night (no domestic help as they took a break too during this time). I stopped applying nail paint (even though the holidays were the only time we could) because it didn’t last even a day.

Well, in Mumbai, I have learnt, that Diwali is all about celebrating the festival at your own pace. People don’t bother you, they just don’t. I prepare sweets at home, draw different rangolis, prepare for the Lakshmi Pujan, go for a drive into the city to check out the beautiful lightings in the night and have (it’s mandatory) ice cream. The next few days, we meet family and a few friends over a leisurely brunch or dinner and catch a movie or two in the theater.

I have actually started enjoying Diwali and miss it when it is over! And, so again the wait begins for next Diwali!

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Sat, 21 Oct 2017 17:30:41 +0000novellaelementshttps://novellaelements.wordpress.com/go/lifestyle/diwali-festival-of-light/Hi! Happy Diwali and Happy New Year to everyone celebrating this occasion. For those of you who don’t know about Diwali, I see it as the equivalent to Christmas Day and New Years Day. The festival of light begins on the 18th October and lasts until 22nd October, but this all depends on the cycle of the moon. It is celebrated every Autumn late October to early November. It is a festival of joy, love and forgiveness as Diwali symbolises the victory of good over evil.

Traditionally in an Indian household we have decorations like; floral garlands, rangoli patterns, diyas (clay lamps), fireworks and colourful outfits that are bright like sarees. As the day approaches a variety of foods are made from recipes either passed down from generations or given from fellow friends and family. Mithais; a sweet rich dessert are prepared.

We pray to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and purity is prayed to; for immortality and peace. Clay lamps are also prepared with oil and wicks (long strips of cotton wool rolled in oil) which are ready to be lit at night as a way to celebrate light and hope. Visitors are always expected and there is a mutual exchange between families. We also visit the temple to pray and worship Lakshmi for prosperous new beginnings. This particular temple had many moments from the Gita (Hindu Holy Book) captured through paintings on the ceiling as if each painting were to tell a story.

It is another one of my favourite festivals of the year as it brings family and friends closer with the warm decorations around you and the bright lights at night from the diyas which are mesmerising. Diwali or Dipavali in Sanskrit is translated to mean a “series of lights”. It is a five-day festival that is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs all over the world to mark different historical events, stories or myths but they all symbolise the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, hope over despair. I hope you’ve had a wonderful Diwali and New Year or have experienced something new this year?

Lots of love and happiness,

Natasha xxx

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Fri, 20 Oct 2017 20:31:46 +0000thetalkativefoodiehttps://mostlytalkative.wordpress.com/go/uncategorized/deepavali-the-festival-of-lights/It’s that time of the year again, the time when apparently NASA clicks pictures of India at night in all its shimmering glory, or so WhatsApp says (No people it is not true)! Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated across India, and is symbolic of quite a few things, most prominently, the triumph of good over evil.

The ‘NASA’ picture doing the rounds Source:Internet

According to the epic Ramayana, these days mark the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, his home, after 14 years in exile and after winning his wife back from Ravana, the demon king, in a war. As the people of Ayodhya welcomed their exiled king back, they lit lamps to brighten up the entire city, and that’s how Diwali came about.

The day prior to the Amavasya (New moon night) is also called Naraka Chaturdashi. It is believed that on this day, Krishna defeated the evil Narakasura and rescued the 16,000 women who were held captive by Naraka. Krishna later married these women, so as to restore their dignity and ensure a place for them in the society. This legend too boils down to the victory of good over evil.

Whereas the Ramayana story is more prevalent and followed in the North of India, the story of Naraka and Krishna is the one marking Diwali in South India.

Although there are many legends and rituals associated with the festival, this post talks about the typical Diwali festivities in a GSB Konkani household.

In most houses across India, preparations for Diwali start weeks in advance, with Diwali cleaning being the first to start off. Diwali celebrates bringing light and good into all our lives, and hence it is only right to clean the house of all the negativity, dust and cobwebs. The cleaning is followed by preparation of sweets and snacks to share with friends and family. Sweets prepared differ in every family, but the following are most common:

The Konkani celebrations of Diwali or Deepavali last a total of 5 days, beginning on the Thrayodashi (13th day of the lunar cycle, i.e. 3 days before New Moon). This day marks the beginning of the Diwali celebration with Uda Bhorce (filling water), being the first ritual.

Symbolically, Naraka was on the verge of being defeated and people started filling water and heating it to bathe Krishna and the other warriors and prepare for the victory celebrations. This is also called the Shuddhi Snan, for purifying oneself after the killing of Narakasura.

Traditionally, a bitter fruit called kareeta (which grows on a creeper), is included in the decoration of the Hando. The bitter kareeta symbolises Narakasura, and after crushing this fruit, people would proceed to the shuddhi snan.

In olden days, the bathrooms in traditional houses were located outside the main area and were a huge space with a well, tanks for stocking water, a fire place and a huge copper pot for heating water (Hando/ Bhana). The bathroom served many purposes apart from bathing, such as storing water, washing clothes, sometimes even vessels; Clean bathrooms were therefore very essential. Therefore on this day, the bathrooms would be cleaned, the well, tanks and pots adorned with beautiful Rangolis and flowers and in the evening, these would be worshiped by ceremonially drawing 5 pots of water from the well and filling them into the Hando.

Source 1

Source 1

After this the family member would spend time lighting the fire and filling the Hando to ensure everyone had hot water for the morning bath. In households with many people the ritual would go on all night into the wee hours next day.

Source 1

Source 2

In modern houses, this tradition has now come to filling the bucket with water from the tap, praying for no water shortages, and switching on the geyser early for next morning!

The Modern Day Uda Bhorche in a Bucket Source: 3

Oil lamps are lit around the hando, at the threshold of the bathroom, at the entrance to the house and on the Tulsi Katte (the pedestal for the Tulsi plant), marking the beginning of Deepavali.

During this ritual, a small amount of oil (usually seame oil) is also kept in the bathroom, with a pinch of turmeric. After the evening Pooja, the bathroom is not used until early next morning when the Abhayng Snan (Holy oil bath) is taken.

In other parts of the country, this day is called Dhan Teras, and is considered an auspicious day to buy new gold, vessels etc.

DAY 2

The second day marks Naraka Chaturdashi, and celebrations begin very early in the morning, as early as 4am! This day Krishna finally defeated Narakasura and people cleaned up, dressed in their finery and burst crackers and lit lamps to celebrate.

The family begins with using the sesame oil from the previous night for an oil massage that is followed by a hot water bath. Having thus cleansed oneself of all the wrong-doings of the past year, people wear new clothes and children begin bursting fire crackers. Usually fire crackers are divided into the sound and the light variety, and the sound ones are burst first, to scare away the evil spirits.

The day then proceeds with a visit to the temple, meeting friends and family and exchanging the Diwali delicacies.

DAY 3

Source 3

This is the Amavasya day, the day of Deepavali, which is celebrate with rows of lamps, firecrackers and a lot of food! It is also the day when Lakshmi Pooja is performed in the house, thanking the Goddess of wealth and prosperity and praying her to maintain her blessings on the family. Most people keep any new gold ornaments or other new things for this pooja.

Usually the front door is left ajar as it is believed that rows of lamps will lead Lakshmi to the house, the beautiful rangoli and the scent of flowers will welcome her, and that the door should be open so as to let her enter.

Source 3

Source 4

Source 4

Source 3

Most people with shops and business have an Angadi Pooja, to pray for increased business and prosperity in any new or existing ventures. Most shops will give you a complimentary box of sweets, Prasad from the Angadi Pooja, on this day.

This is the most common Diwali ritual across communities and cultures, it is also the day most school, offices and banks have the Diwali holiday. While we were in college, this was the day the students would get together, organize a Lakshmi Pooja, Light lamps in the hostel, burst some firecrackers and partake in a grand feast. It was the one day we tried to club in the festivities and merriment of everything that we were missing while away from home.

DAY 4

This day is referred to as Go Pooja or Bali Padyami. After taking the Vaman Avatar to vanquish king Bali, Lord Vishnu was pleased by the King’s generosity and agreed to let him visit Earth for one day every year, to visit his subjects (detailed legend available on Wikipedia). This day is celebrated as Bali Padyami. People decorate their homes with rangolis, and place a symbolic Bali molded out of cow-dung on this rangoli and adorn it with marigold flowers. They light oil lamps and welcome their king, ensuring him of their well-being.

On this day, the people clean their cowsheds bathe and adorn the cows with flowers and turmeric and worship them, thus giving the name Gopooja (Go- cattle, Pooja- worship). The cows are fed with a mixture of Jaggery, coconut and rice and their blessings sought.

Source 1

Source 1

Source 1

In Gujarati and Marwari communities this day is the first day of the New Year and people celebrate it as Nutan Varash/ Bestu Varash.

DAY 5

This day marks the official closure of the long Diwali festivities, and celebrations are marked by visiting family and sharing of gifts. Traditionally this day was kept aside by brother to visit their married sisters, the brother would take with them gifts for the sister and her family, while the sister prepared a feast to welcome her brother. They would then enjoy the meal together, promising to always stand by each other in times of need.

Apparently on this day, Yama visited his sister Yami/ Kalindi after a long time and she welcomed him with a feast and a tilak. Yama in return brought her many gifts. He was very happy with this meeting and went on to declare that anyone who got a tilak from their sister on this day would not suffer in hell. It is therefore referred to as Yama Dwithiya/ Bhavana Bidige.

Although this tradition is prevalent across India as Bhai Dooj/ Bhau Bij, it is a dying tradition in most Konkani households, with many families not even aware of it.

This day marks an end to the 5 day Diwali revelry.

Source: Internet

On all days lamps are placed at the entrance to the house and on the Tulsi Katte, this is carried on till the day of Tulsi Pooja (Dwadashi after Deepavali). Tulsi Pooja marks the day of the wedding of Goddess Tulsi with Vishnu. It is carried out by placing a small gooseberry plant (symbolizing Vishnu), beside the Tulsi plant.

The balance firecrackers are burst on this day and beaten rice with jaggery and coconut is served as prasadam (god phovu).

Although the stories might be many, the running theme throughout all the Deepavali festivities is that of the triumph of good over evil and of light over darkness. It marks the coming together of families and communities to celebrate the good, to thank almighty for all they have and to pray for continued prosperity.

This year, I am in faraway Italy, and don’t exactly have everything to do these rituals right, But Uda Bhorche has happened in the wash basin, Abhyanga snana with gas heated water from the shower and Lakshmi was invited home with candles instead of oil lamps, but the spirit of Diwali has prevailed light has spread over darkness, and we have surely soaked in every bit of it.

So here’s to a year of Happiness, Joy, Success and Prosperity. Shubh Deepavali everyone and Bestu Varash Mubarak!

Sources:

Mrs. Mamatha Bhat, Sagara

Mrs. Mamatha Prabhu

Mrs. Gayathri Pai, Mumbai

Mrs. Lakshmi Nayak, Udupi (also cover picture credits)

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Fri, 20 Oct 2017 16:37:46 +0000Poornima Vhttps://techospi.wordpress.com/go/cultsci/deepavali-or-diwali-the-festival-of-lights/Deepavali, meaning, the series of diyas, the earthen lamps, is a festival of lights celebrated for three to five days, Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdashi, Lashmi Pooja, Bali Padyami and Bhai Dooj.On the whole, Deepavali signifies the triumph of good over evil.

You would have got to hear a lot of stories regarding Deepavali. You can click here to know one of the stories behind Naraka Chaturdashi and I also suggest to have a look at further reading attached below.

My views on Deepavali:

1) Dhanteras, celebrated to remember birth anniversary of Lord Dhanvantari, a physician, who is believed to be arosen during the churning of ocean. The story says, most of the world’s treasures like wealth, health, medicines, so on were obtained when a ocean was churned by two categories of people, one being completely unselfish, always on their heels to help others, those with little or no evil in them, called suras and the other being those who first see their comfort, even at the cost of others, called asuras. What I understand by this story is that, by the balance between all these qualities can come great wordly treasures and meanwhile the true, ultimate treasure remains only with those possessing good qualities.

2) Naraka Chaturdashi, celebrated to commemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over demon Narakasura. The story of Narakasura mentions him to be the son of the same divinity, mother Earth, yet posses or may be, developed evil nature, which suppressed the divinity within him, like the way it happens with humans. We are exposed to both good and evil and there do exist both within us. But it is we, the most intelligent creatures, who are supposed to magnify the good over evil.

3) Lashmi Pooja is celebrated as appearance of Godess Lashmi, wealth, during the churning of ocean. Again, here it signifies the need of balance between all the qualities. As it is said, Too good is too bad. As you know, for a business without politics, success is seldom. And the fruits can be tasted only by those who stand by righteousness. I believe that the story of the origin of Godess Lakshmi (signifying wealth) during the churning of the ocean by a group of two kinds of people and at last the marriage of Godess with Lord Vishnu, signifies the necessity of balance between the qualities and wealth remaining only with the righteous.

4) Bali Padyami, one of the reasons for the celebration is the victory of Vamana(a dwarf, believed to be one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu) over King Bali, the ruler of asuras. King bali was believed to be a great king, very kind to his subjects and gradson of Prahlada (great devotee of Lord Vishnu). It portrays the fact that not only the evil, but also the supporter of evil shall always be punished. It also conveys that no one can escape from tasting the fruits of their deeds and also to remain good even at times of self destruction.

5) Bhai Dooj, signifies the love between brothers and sisters. It is also called Yamadvitiya. It is the day on which Yama met his sister Yamuna.

So in this way the culture, ethics are being propagated and remembered forever by celebrating the festivals. Now it is our duty to understanding the meaning, the whole essence of it and inculcate them within us.

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Fri, 20 Oct 2017 14:41:47 +0000Swadhyaayahttps://arisebharat.com/go/uncategorized/ayodhya-welcomes-prabhu-sri-ram/https://arisebharat.com/go/nation/ayodhya-welcomes-sri-rama-with-1-71-lakh-diyas/
Fri, 20 Oct 2017 11:34:42 +0000arisebharathttps://arisebharat.com/go/nation/ayodhya-welcomes-sri-rama-with-1-71-lakh-diyas/https://flavourindulgence.com/go/miscellaneous/diwali-the-festival-of-lights/
Fri, 20 Oct 2017 07:57:29 +0000Subratahttps://flavourindulgence.com/go/miscellaneous/diwali-the-festival-of-lights/Diwali or Deepavali is the festival of lights that is celebrated on the amavasya of Hindu month Kartik. It is said that lord Shri Ram along with his wife Sita and brother Laxman reached the state of Ayodhya on this day after killing Ravana. So the people of Ayodhya had decorated the streets with diyas in order to welcome them and lighten the roads on this dark amavasya night. This is considered to be the symbolism of victory of good over evil, light over darkness.

Also there are other stories around southern parts of India mentioning the destruction of another rakshyas (demon) Narakasura by a goddess. So, Diwali is celebrated signifying that victory. Anyway, whatever story it is, the bottom line remains the same — victory of good over evil.

The eastern states of India like Odisha, West Bengal observe goddess Kali puja on this day whereas the other states observe goddess Lakshmi puja.

Lot of sweet and savory dishes are prepared in all households. Family get-together’s happen. Coloured rangoli are spread for the prosperity at home. And during evening, people decorate houses with diyas, candles, string lights etc.

I too prepared sweet dishes and did Lakshmi Puja at home. Below there are some glimpses of Diwali celebration in my family.

A very happy, prosperous and safe Diwali to all wonderful people out there from flavour indulgence.

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Fri, 20 Oct 2017 07:09:16 +0000hamplangyewhttps://hamplangyew.wordpress.com/go/entropy/deepavali-in-a-chinese-temple/Have you ever celebrated TGIF on a Wednesday? You might have if it means ‘Today Got Indian Festival’! I spent Deepavali indifferently, in a Chinese temple……meditating under a grand master Mingyur Rinpoche, the Happiest Man in the World. The wise Tibetan led us through 10 meditation techniques only to divulge the Secret: there is never ten; only one goal: awareness.

“Those who doesn’t know awareness, please raise your hand.” many obliged. “Aah…but you have already known awareness!” and he laughed. Once one master awareness, one is the master of one’s mind, body and spirit.

I am but a slave.

100 words

Mingyur Rinpoche, the Happiest Man on Earth

“You know that you don’t know, so you are aware of your ignorance. Therefore you have awareness.”

“If I ask you to concentrate on durian, durian will not come; if I ask you to not think of durian, all you think is durian. I don’t eat durian.”

“Meditation is anytime, anywhere, anything. Your only goal is to be aware. If you can aware, good. If you cannot aware, also good.”

Following the immense success of his previous film, Dangal, which has become the highest-grossing Indian film worldwide, Singapore is honored to be the first promotional stop for Secret Superstar which is produced by Aamir Khan Productions and Zee Studios, and written and directed by Advait Chandan.

Zaira Wasim, who reviously acted in Dangal, also stars in Secret Superstar and her character aspires to be a world reowned singer. The film depicts the current trend of social media, mainly Youtube.

Insia, a fourteen-year-old girl, changes the life of everyone around her. Set in a conservative environment, it is a story of how Insia succeeds in her dreams, hopes and aspirations to be a singer. Cool and charming Shakti Kumar (played by Aamir Khan) brings Insia a wonderful opportunity for her to showcase her talent.

What does the actor, director, and producer count as success on this film? “Honesty is the most important. When I find material that excites me, I don’t want to do something specifically tactical in order to make it successful. When I like something, I want to be honest with it.” Aamir Khan explains.

As it is not his first time in a film with Zaira Wasim, Khan stated that it was great fun working with children. He states that they give him positive energy, spontaneity, and a fresh and wonderful experience when he is around them.

Secret Superstar is also targeted towards a younger audience as young talents out there could have the chance to share their talents through a trendy platform and learn how to overcome obstacles that may come their way.

The film, produced by Khan and his wife Kiran Rao, is out in cinemas now. Be sure to catch it on Cinemas this Deepavali!

The Fifth Parlour would like to thank Marina Bay Sands for the invitation to this event.

For more photos of Aamir Khan during the Press Conference,check out our Facebook page!

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Thu, 19 Oct 2017 17:17:33 +0000Geeta Ashram Youthhttps://geetaashramyouth.com/go/uncategorized/shubh-diwali-2/We would like to wish each and everyone a happy Diwali! 🎉 May this Festival of Lights bring with it wisdom to see the light within!

Flower Rangoli

Wishing each and every one a wonderful time with family and friends! 💕May Bhagawan’s blessings be with you always! Jai Shree Krishna! 🙏🏻

” May the joy, cheer, delight and cheerfulness of this heavenly festival surround you forever. May the happiness that this season brings brighten your life and, hope the year brings you luck and fulfills all your dearest dreams!”

I wish you and your family members 💥 Happy Diwali 💥

I love rangolis a lot, I got an idea of making Rangoli with Pulses because it suits to my food blog too 😊

I’m so much happy at the end of Rangoli because it looks so much beautiful and colorful too. Hope, you like it.

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Thu, 19 Oct 2017 10:34:51 +0000The Shining Gemhttps://theshininggem.wordpress.com/go/personal/what-diwali-means-to-me/First and foremost, a happy diwali to you. If you’re reading this after diwali, then advance wishes for the next year. I hope all my readers get their wishes fulfilled, unless said wishes are sinister, in that case, I don’t hope that wish gets fulfilled.

Diwali has always been my favourite festival. I love the lights, I love the sweets, I love how people meet and greet each other, I love every bit of it. When I was just a little kid, I was too scared of firecrackers. Even to this day I’m a bit wary when handling fire. (Thank God I didn’t become a firefighter.) So back then, my siblings used to light up the crackers and I enjoyed watching the show from a distance, I loved that.

The age gap between me and my siblings is a bit on the higher side. The schools in my hometown were not up to the mark, which meant both of my siblings had to move out for further studies. In essence, I grew up as an only child after second grade (by that time both had moved out). Even then, they always used to come home for Diwali. Sometimes they missed New Year’s, most of the times they missed Holi and Dashehra, but they were always back for Diwali. Even when they didn’t have official vacations, they still bunked classes to be back home, and being the little kid of the house, I got spoiled with gifts and accessories around that time, it was the best.

As I grew up, my fear of firecrackers started waning and I started bursting them on my own. It was fun for a couple of years, but I didn’t think it was worth the pollution it was causing, so I stopped. If given a chance, I still burst one or two, but just to keep the tradition growing.

In 2010, it was my turn to move out of the house for better prospects at a juvenile age of 16. Since the school I went to was only an overnight journey far, I never missed any festivals, Diwali included. By that time my brother had already moved to the US so it was just the four of us that year. It was the year in which my motorcycle was stolen right on the day of Diwali, and I still am angry about it to this day.

After that year, things haven’t really been the same. I last spent the day if Diwali with my parents back in 2012. By 2013, I had moved halfway across the country for college. Thankfully, my sister and her husband used to stay in the same city as me so I got to spend at least part family time there. Afterwards, even they moved to the US. (Why is everyone moving there?)

From next year onwards, I could only celebrate a bit in the hostel I used to live in. The friends I had there helped me keep my sanity. They were like a family away from family to me. We used to take walks outside the campus and watch fireworks in the sky. In my deepest moments of self doubt, they were there for me, cheering me on at every step. I am glad I got to spend a few festivals with them.

This year is a bit different too. For the first time since 2012, I’m with my parents for Diwali. Even though the other siblings are not here, I am trying to make up for their absence as much as possible, I want to be the best son there ever was, I want to be like Shravan Kumar.

I wonder what the future holds for me. I just hope its all well and good, and I hope everything remains good for you too dear reader.

Deepavali in Tamil Nadu doesn’t end without a big star’s movie. Here again Deepavali 2017 witnesses a big star Thalapathy Vijay’s “Mersal” by Atlee. This combo is not new to the south, they have already given blockbuster movie “Theri”. Further to this “AR Rahman’s” addition has soared the expectations sky high. Now, let me not talk about the cast & crew which is available everywhere. This is not a detailed review, but just a brief of the movie.

Story wise the movie is not nothing new. We have seen this story in some old movies yet this plot is new for Vijay and the crux of the movie is something new and has lifted the movie. It talks about the business going around in the healthcare industry with hero’s revenge on the villain for brutally killing their parents. The best thing about the movie is that Vijay has given up all of his childish mannerisms, unbearable voice modulations and funny punch dialogues which we usually see in his movies. For example, Bairava. Good to see him donning a decent role in this movie and he has given his best. Other best thing i liked about this movie is the current issues like burden due to GST, poor healthcare facilities provided by Govt Hospitals, citing few real incidents that took place in the recent times directly attacking Central Govt and State Govt. This will make people involve into the story, thats where Atlee has won. The whole flashback can go well with the women and family audience, though it is a bit lengthy, not boring though.

Vijay has done a great job, three different roles with three lead heroines out of which only Nithya Menen gets a good role. Samantha and Kajal Agarwal has nothing much to do. Vadivel’s comeback is still pending as he also has very little space in the movie. Sathyaraj, does his job pretty well, no wonder he is an experienced and proven actor. SJ Surya nowadays is becoming a sensation with his villainous roles, does his job pretty easily (but i still want him to direct movies).

First Half was racy and the interval block was edge of the seat thrilling. Second Half might be a little boring for some but caters to a different audience, for the women and the family as i have mentioned earlier. BGM was too good (come on it is ARR). Rich visuals, charming Vijay carry the whole movie in style.

One thing I expected is a little differentiation in the two roles “Vetri” and “Maran”. Gone are those days where the dual roles would look exactly the same from top to bottom, from hairstyle to moustache and even the walking style. Say like, Michael Madana KamaRajan, Aboorva Sahodarargal (Kamal is incomparable, but just saying). Few places there are some flaws, but never mind. No movie is 100% flawless.

So to end with, this Deepavali is definitely to be celebrated Mersal’ly…

Today marks one of the biggest Hindu’s festivals, Diwali. This festival celebrates the triumph of Rama against Rahwana; good against evil and light over darkness. in the nation of India, Malaysia, Singapore, Srilanka, Suriname, Fiji, Guyana, Myanmar, Nepal, Mauritius, and Trinidad Tobago have an official holiday of Diwali. The festival lasts for around 5 days and the main celebration is of Diwali night on the third day.

As one of the most celebrated festivals, people mark Diwali as the day to start everything fresh. They clean and decorate their houses, office and neighborhood before Diwali night. On Diwali day, people dress up in new and beautiful colorful clothes, cook a lot of foods, buy a lot of sweets, and host friends and family at their houses to exchange gifts between family members and close friends. Spiritually speaking, they celebrate Diwali by lighting up inside their houses as well as outside lamps or candles called diyas, which are decorated with colorful sand, and by praying or calling puja to Lakshmi, the goddess of fertility and prosperity.

So, if you know someone in your neighborhood or office who celebrates Diwali, you can start simple by lighting some candles or send them some small gifts like cookies or sweets. Start conversation on what is important to them about Diwali and how they celebrate it in the family, which we are sure they will happily share with you. You never know, you might end up tasting delicious Diwali foods and super sweet candies while watching festival of lights and fireworks. Happy Diwali everyone!

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Thu, 19 Oct 2017 04:12:52 +0000The Musing Monkeyhttps://themusingmonkey.wordpress.com/go/uncategorized/new-home-diwali-and-wpc3/
This weeks weekly photo challenge is Glow, and incidentally today marks the beginning of Diwali festival – the festival of lights. And to top it, this would be the first diwali at our new home, so I lit some diyas and adorned our home with some beautiful glowing lights. So whats more inviting than this. Here are some of the pictures I took this evening.

Diwali or deepavali is one of the main festivals of India and signifies victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and hope over dispair. People that celebrate this festival believe that by lighting the diyas they dissolve the ignorance and invite wisdom. According to the legend, this day is celebrated in honor of the return of Lord Rama, wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and Lord Hanuman from exile of 14 years and after defeating Ravana. In order to honor their return, villagers lit diyas to illuminate their path and also to celebrate the triumph of good over evil.(Courtesy: wiki)

I have a lot of fond memories associated with this festival from my childhood. Having been brought up in a joint family, celebrating Diwali was a huge deal. Back in the day, there were only a handful of occasions when we got new clothes, and Diwali was one such occasion. My sister and I used to look forward to those shopping sprees with so much enthusiasm. Then followed sweets, and lots and lots of them. My grandmother also used to make a lot of delicious savory items to go along with the sweets. The following morning we were woken up at the wee hours and were required to give harati to elders(a ritual of honoring the elders and seeking their blessings). Then came firecrackers. Loads of them. We would just go crazy lighting them up and watching them go off in delight. There were so many varieties, from the ones that go off on the ground to those that shoot up into the sky and everything in between. All neighborhood kids would gather around and share in on the fun including the munchies and firecrackers. Elders would join us as well and it would eventually become a community thing.

Unlike those days, a lot of rules and regulations have come into play today keeping in mind peoples’ sensitivities towards noise and pollution. There are limits around how many decibel levels are actually acceptable and there is also a cut off hour beyond which no one is allowed to light crackers that might cause disruptions. I believe it’s all for a good reason and keeps a lot of chaos under control. In any case, the spirit of Diwali hasn’t diminished and it will continue to live on.